2023 Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships & International, July 31-Aug. 2

[Wyliefan]

Ack, sorry!! I had a feeling I was messing up the names. I should have gone and checked.

 

[Dobre]

I have to give credit to whoever put together the Mullens' programs. I feel neither of them has enough facial expression, but the programs are great. The Wake Me Up Before You Go Go is cute, charming, and sticks to its theme. The free is dramatic, a nice contrast, and not too old for them. Some interesting elements/positions too. A good step up from when I've seen them in the past.

 

[Dobre]

All right, I'm going to gripe about the All By Myself. For an ice dance program? For the entire ice dance program? They never look at each other. The relationship never develops or changes at any point. Just because a team is not in a romantic relationship on the ice doesn't mean there should be no relationship. The elements are smooth & there's a section there with some interesting movement. I generally like programs that feel whole and the music does build there in the last section. But unless there's a way to show that they've come together and are not all by themselves, I don't think it works for me. I mean, things could get better & then get worse. But something. It's not like there's enough original movement for it to work as a piece of modern art.

 

[Rukia]

All right, I'm going to gripe about the All By Myself. For an ice dance program? For the entire ice dance program? They never look at each other. The relationship never develops or changes at any point. Just because a team is not in a romantic relationship on the ice doesn't mean there should be no relationship. The elements are smooth & there's a section there with some interesting movement. I generally like programs that feel whole and the music does build there in the last section. But unless there's a way to show that they've come together and are not all by themselves, I don't think it works for me. I mean, things could get better & then get worse. But something. It's not like there's enough original movement for it to work as a piece of modern art.

But how can they look at each other when they are all by themselves??

jk I agree with you like at least pretend like you know your partner exists

 

[Dobre]

But how can they look at each other when they are all by themselves??

Hence, this is a problematic selection.

I'm not sure I can convince myself to watch Romeo & Juliet, Polovtsian Dances, and Swan Lake.

Is this worth it?

I like the Ojos Azules with the South American pipes. (Maybe we could ditch the distracting Amazon warrior costume?) But I like the music & seeds of the program for Tkachenko & Kiliakov.

The Peals have a nice starting place for the season in both programs. She's outselling you there, Ethan, in the RD. You're gonna have to work harder there. It'll be fun when it is sharp. They're good storytellers & I think the free will come along too.

 

[Frau Muller]

…

Diana Davis is about as swanlike as I am.

…

It’s the funky Black Swan music. You’re not funky enough?

 

[Cayuse]

Diana Davis is about as swanlike as I am.

ETA: Bashynska/Beaumont's R&J is so smooth and gorgeous. Love that opening pose. And what a great mix of Rota and Prokofiev. If you're gonna go warhorse, that's how you do it.

Totally agree with these two assessments!

 

[her grace]

I'm not sure I can convince myself to watch Romeo & Juliet, Polovtsian Dances, and Swan Lake.

Is this worth it?

I don't see any harm in waiting until they're more polished. Bashynska/Beaumont have a neat opening pose and some nice, smooth skating, but noticeably tired toward the end. Pate/Bye had an energetic portrayal with typical Igor-style unfinished lines. I didn't watch the faux Georgians.

Browns: I liked the RD more. There's definitely a focus on their musicality in the FD, but I wonder if they could branch out to do a program with more storytelling and a recognizable theme? The program starts to seem very same-y by the end. Nice recovery from her tumble into immediate twizzles.

 

[Dobre]

I did make it through the top three war horses, and Bashynska & Beaumont did have a nice opening & closing pose, though I wish they had used a more original piece of music to go with it. Mom liked their program.

I liked the Browns' RD as well. Feel like I should rewatch it, but it left a good first impression.

 

[Karen-W]

Okay, finally getting around to watching some of the senior int'l FDs - not sure how many I'll watch because a lot of these teams just don't interest me that much and there's only so much Canadian maple sugar I can take in a day before going into a diabetic coma.

DavSmo - I was seriously distracted by her smile through most of the program and nothing about that changed when she switched over to that hyper-intense fake glare that has nothing on anything her mother's ever given on the CoachCam views over the years, lol. The combo lift was really spectacular. The besti squat-death spiral move, not so much. Same with their choreo lift/spin near the end where she was grabbing her blade.
Browns - Well, her costuming has improved tremendously since last season, but, yeah... That's a very strange music choice. I don't know what anyone on their team was thinking about having a sibling team skate to "All By Myself" - and the clear, choreographic intention of having them begin and end facing apart, plus not really looking at or interacting with each other during the entire program. I'm not sure how they think this is going to land, but the IAM team cannot be this naive, can they? I mean, let's just get on with the GOT program for the Browns next season, shall we? She can bleach her hair and they can portray Jon & Daenerys.
PateBye - hmph. This can't be the same team that gave us that awesome Hunger Games FD two years ago and that moderately interesting Riverdance FD last season. I've come to expect better musical selections from this team than Polovtsian Dances. This is not going to move them up the US ranks.
McNSpir - Can someone at the USFS tell Lorraine to cover her a$$ with at least a sheer skirt? First of all, just changing the color of last year's costumes isn't going to make the knock-off of the knock-off of the GreenP original from two seasons ago any better. Secondly, no one needs to see her a$$ cheek hanging out during the character step sequence where they're writhing against the boards. Another team whose material this season won't move them up the USFS ranks.
Tkachenko/Kiliakov - Well, we know which WISA team got the most interesting music this season, lol. Is he supposed to be some deadly South American spider who has caught her in his web? I dunno, but... Lots of sloppy moments and they seemed to have trouble keeping up with the music. We'll see what this looks like later in the season.
LanRaz - Oh, dear God... sheer white skirt over the solid black tights that also half-cover her boots? Skate Canada needs to do a fashion intervention with Molly stat. I really hope this is just a makeshift outfit because her real competition dress isn't ready yet. Heh - only the first third is "Lord of the Flames", the middle third is some random song I don't know and the last third is "Riverdance". Mind, the first third is the only good part of the program too. The random song slows the program way down and they never really regain the speed necessary to make the climatic end of Riverdance work - not especially that part where she step-dances in place while he points at her feet and then she returns the favor.
BashBeau - gorgeous, unique starting position! Well, we didn't get dying on the ice, but we did get Nadiia stabbing herself! Actually, I don't have much snark - this is a really beautiful program. I like it much better than their Red Violin program from last season.
LingWein - darn shame about the bootstrap issue. I actually really enjoyed the program and think it's a nice vehicle for them. Might not move them up the ranks, but US ice dance is so packed, it's hard to gain unless some teams ahead of you really screw up.

 

[her grace]

@Karen-W At least M/S used the boards when they were hanging on to them and dancing. Most skaters who touch them do so for no discernible reason.

 

[Frau Muller]

..

I'm not sure I can convince myself to watch Romeo & Juliet, Polovtsian Dances, and Swan Lake.

…

It beats watching/listening to ANY three ‘80s RD!!!!! (Other than I’m So Excited.) I’ll take a Viennese Waltz any day!!!!!

 

[Dobre]

I enjoyed most of the RDs. People complain when there is inevitable overlap in rhythm dance music selections; but I think the RD is actually a great conduit for new music entering the sport. Coaches & athletes have to broaden their reach in order to not wind up with the same thing as everyone else. Anyway, I am finding this season's RD a lot of fun, and I think it will be even better when teams master some of the varied dance styles being attempted.

 

[Wyliefan]

PedChen - POTO and it's sequel? I'm not a POTO aficionado so I'll leave it to others to fully identify the music. Fine for what it is, but they aren't bringing anything new to the ice dance rink here. Should be enough for at least 1 JGP.

No sequel, just POTO. Thank goodness. I still think ALW should have been run out of town on a rail for writing that horrendous attempt at a sequel.

That said, this isn't working for them, even though they used some of the lesser-known cuts. Too much flailing, too little drama.

 

[Spikefan]

Zingas/Kolesnik are listed as WD.

Based on his IG story his hand got sliced up by a blade, stitches needed.

Login • Instagram

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

www.instagram.com

 

[Rukia]

Based on his IG story his hand got sliced up by a blade, stitches needed.

Login • Instagram

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

www.instagram.com

Well that's awful. Hope he has quick and good healing.

 

[Dobre]

Wrong thread.